Top Items:
Stephanie Kirchgaessner / The Guardian:
Rudy Giuliani says Trump will stay loyal to him but jokes that he has ‘insurance’ — Exclusive: The president's personal lawyer has emerged as a key figure in the impeachment inquiry, with speculation that Republicans will seek to paint him as a rogue actor
Discussion:
HuffPost, Hot Air, The Hill, Law & Crime, Hullabaloo, The Week, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Raw Story and Political Wire
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Associated Press:
AP source: 2nd US official heard Trump call with Sondland — WASHINGTON (AP) — A second U.S. Embassy staffer in Kyiv overheard a cellphone call between President Donald Trump and his ambassador to the European Union discussing a need for Ukrainian officials to pursue “investigations,” The Associated Press has learned.
Bloomberg:
Giuliani Faces U.S. Probe on Campaign Finance, Lobbying Breaches — Probe of lawyer presents a threat to Trump's presidency — Giuliani has become a central figure in impeachment inquiry — Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, is being investigated …
Discussion:
The Hill, Sara A. Carter, Political Wire, Mediaite, New York Post and Raw Story
Lachlan Markay / The Daily Beast:
Five Cellphones, Trump Straws, a Lot of Cash—What This Giuliani Crony Was Carrying When the FBI Arrested Him — Lev Parnas also had the business card of a top Ukrainian anti-corruption prosecutor with whom Giuliani met this year. — BEAST INSIDE — When Rudy Giuliani crony Lev Parnas …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Erica Werner / Washington Post:
Career White House budget official expected to break ranks, testify in impeachment inquiry — Mark Sandy would be the first Office of Management and Budget official to appear after a series of political appointees defied congressional subpoenas — A longtime career employee at the White House Office …
Discussion:
NBC News, Talking Points Memo, CNN, Axios, The Hill, The Week, Political Wire and Raw Story
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Burgess Everett / Politico:
Trump shows GOP senators summary of his first call with Ukraine president
CNN:
Top Democrats privately concede major shift in public opinion on impeachment is unlikely
Discussion:
Political Wire
Sabrina Rodriguez / Politico:
Pelosi: USMCA deal is ‘imminent’
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill and Blue Virginia
Washington Post:
Besieged on all sides, Gordon Sondland clings to power — When confronted with the whiff of scandal, American diplomats are often advised to resign if they believe they can no longer be effective in the job. — But for Gordon Sondland, the embattled U.S. ambassador to the European Union, quitting is not in the cards.
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CNN:
Russian spies likely intercepted ambassador's cell phone call with Trump — Washington (CNN)US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland's cell phone call to President Donald Trump from a restaurant in Ukraine this summer appears to be a shocking security breach that raises significant …
Discussion:
The Mahablog, The Guardian and Washington Post
Christian Caryl / Washington Post:
Sorry, Republicans, but Paul Manafort really was corrupt
Discussion:
Associated Press, American Greatness and New Republic
Associated Press:
AP source: 2nd US embassy official overheard President Trump's call with Sondland about need for Ukraine investigations
Discussion:
Shareblue Media and Raw Story
Amber Phillips / Washington Post:
The 5 questions Gordon Sondland needs to answer
Discussion:
Shareblue Media, Associated Press, Slate, POLITICUSUSA and The Hill
Washington Post:
Trump asks Supreme Court to shield his tax returns from prosecutors, setting up historic separation-of-powers showdown — President Trump asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to stop a prosecutor's investigation of his personal finances, a bold assertion of presidential power that seeks …
Discussion:
Common Dreams, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, The Root and HuffPost
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Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Trump Asks Supreme Court to Bar Release of His Tax Returns — A fight over a Manhattan grand jury subpoena could yield a major decision on presidential power. — WASHINGTON — President Trump asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to bar his accounting firm from turning over eight years of his tax returns to Manhattan prosecutors.
Discussion:
Hot Air, Common Dreams, Daily Kos, NPR and Lawyers, Guns & Money
Mark Sherman / Associated Press:
Trump wants Supreme Court to block subpoena for his taxes
Discussion:
Politico, HuffPost, The Hill, One America News Network, Law & Crime and Axios
Nicole Gaouette / CNN:
Trump hikes price tag for US forces in Korea almost 500% as Seoul questions alliance — Washington (CNN)Secretary of Defense Mark Esper landed in South Korea on Thursday to navigate renewed threats from an “enraged” North Korea and newly heightened strain in the alliance with Seoul that congressional aides …
Discussion:
Political Wire
Gianluca Mezzofiore / CNN:
Italian council is flooded immediately after rejecting measures on climate change — (CNN)Veneto regional council, which is located on Venice's Grand Canal, was flooded for the first time in its history on Tuesday night — just after it rejected measures to combat climate change.
Discussion:
Big Think, Boing Boing, The Verge, WTKR-TV, NPR, CityLab, Common Dreams, Q13 FOX News and New York Times
Washington Post:
Justice Dept. watchdog won't let witnesses give written feedback on report about FBI's Russia probe, sparking fears of inaccuracy — The Justice Department Inspector General's office has told witnesses who are set to review draft sections of its long-awaited report on the FBI investigation …
Discussion:
Political Wire and The Last Refuge
Los Angeles Times:
Santa Clarita shooting: 2 teens killed; attack came on suspect's birthday, officials say — One person was killed and at least four others were injured in a shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita early Thursday, authorities said. — Two students were killed …
Discussion:
NBC News, The Atlantic, Washington Post, The Stranger, Def-Con News, Fox News, KTLA, The Daily Beast, Talking Points Memo, New York Post, Slate and MSNBC
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Laurel Wamsley / NPR:
3 Indiana Judges Suspended After White Castle Brawl That Left 2 Of Them Wounded — Back in May, three Indiana judges got into a fight. It was the crescendo of an incident brimming with colorful details: a gaggle of judges drinking the night before a judicial conference …
Melissa Ratliff / WLEX:
Gov. Bevin concedes election following recanvass — FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — At a podium inside his office, Governor Matt Bevin conceded the election nine days after losing to Gov.-elect Andy Beshear. — The governor formally requested a recanvass following his loss to Attorney General Andy Beshear.
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Morning Call:
Most Pennsylvania voters have dim view of Trump, new poll shows. His Democratic foes have work to do, too — One year before Pennsylvania voters will head to the polls in a critical swing state, a new Morning Call/Muhlenberg College poll shows nearly six in 10 don't believe President Donald Trump should be re-elected.
Discussion:
POLITICUSUSA and Political Wire
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Dana Blanton / Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Close races between Trump and Democrats in North Carolina
Discussion:
War Room
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
Senate Confirms Wildly Problematic Trump Court Pick Steven Menashi — He's never tried a case. He condemned women's rights and diversity. He refused to answer senators' questions. Republicans confirmed him anyway. — WASHINGTON ― The Senate voted Thursday to make Steven Menashi …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, MSNBC, Axios, Common Dreams, CNN and Slate
NBC News:
Trump admin preparing to take over private land in Texas for border wall — The Trump administration is preparing court filings to begin taking over private land in Texas to build a border wall as early as this week, say officials. — The Trump administration is preparing court filings …
Discussion:
National Review
Laura Kelly / The Hill:
Turkish media paints White House visit as Erdoğan triumph over Trump — Turkish media are seizing on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's comments that President Trump had “no reaction” to his returning the American leader's notorious letter to him, saying it shows a clear victory over Trump.
Discussion:
Axios
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Jonathan Swan / Axios:
Scoop: Erdogan upends Oval meeting to play anti-Kurd film on iPad
Discussion:
Washington Post, ABC News, Politico, BBC, Bloomberg, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Hullabaloo, Raw Story, Commentary, Fox News, TheBlaze, VICE, New York Post, Defense One, CNN, Hot Air, National Review, Ted Cruz, Daily Kos, The Week, Mediaite and Wall Street Journal
Tom O'Connor / Newsweek:
Syria's Assad says Jeffrey Epstein did not kill himself — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad waded into the conspiracy theories around Jeffery Epstein's suicide, saying the financier and convicted sex offender was murdered as part of a Western plot to eliminate high-profile people who knew too much.
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Julie K. Brown / Miami Herald:
Jeffrey Epstein wasn't trafficking women — and he didn't kill himself, brother says
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, TheBlaze and New York Post
Edward Helmore / The Guardian:
Outcry after Facebook sponsors gala featuring Brett Kavanaugh — Company is listed as a ‘gold circle’ sponsor for rightwing group Federalist Society dinner where justice will be keynote speaker — Facebook is facing criticism for sponsoring the annual gala dinner of the Federalist Society …
Discussion:
The Verge, Above the Law and Popular Information
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Bloomberg's Team Calls His Crude Remarks on Women ‘Wrong’ — As Michael Bloomberg prepares a presidential run, his history of crude remarks is likely to draw scrutiny. His team said some were “disrespectful.” — It was a cheeky birthday gift for a hard-charging boss …
Discussion:
New York Post, HuffPost, Los Angeles Times, IJR, The Hill, National Review, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, The Week, Associated Press and NBC News
Washington Post:
White House and Pentagon prepare for Trump to issue pardons in war-crimes cases, officials say — President Trump is expected to intervene in three military justice cases involving service members charged with war crimes any day, issuing pardons or otherwise clearing them of wrongdoing …
Dan Froomkin / Press Watch:
Reuters News Article That Called Impeachment Hearing ‘Dull’ Sparks a Social Media Revolt — A Reuter's news article pronouncing Wednesday's illuminating, alarming, and historic kickoff of the Trump impeachment hearings “dull” has sparked a small but passionate social media revolt …
Katie Rogers / New York Times:
Emails Outline Anti-Immigration Group's Connection to Stephen Miller — A new batch of leaked emails illustrates the degree to which Mr. Miller used a think tank's work to shape coverage at Breitbart News and policy at the White House. — WASHINGTON — Stephen Miller …
Discussion:
Inquirer.com, Southern Poverty Law Center and National Review
Charlie Nash / Mediaite:
Steve King Goes Full Steve King: Posts Photos of George Soros' Son Falsely Claiming He's Whistleblower (UPDATED) — Rep. Steve King (R-IA) posted photos of the son of left-wing billionaire George Soros on Thursday, absurdly accusing him of being the White House whistleblower.
Discussion:
New York Times, Mother Jones, The Daily Beast, Iowa Starting Line, Occupy Democrats and @politifact
David Brooks / New York Times:
In Praise of Washington Insiders — The people who are showing us what public service looks like. — Let me tell you a secret. The public buildings of Washington are filled with very good people working hard for low pay and the public good. There are thousands of them and they are …
Burgess Everett / Politico:
Rand Paul may force vote to bring Hunter Biden as witness in impeachment trial — Sen. Rand Paul could force a vote on the Senate floor that would bring Hunter Biden or other White House-favored impeachment witnesses to an impeachment trial. — Paul said on Thursday he's considering forcing votes …
Discussion:
Townhall, Breitbart and The Daily Caller
Dave Colon / Streetsblog New York City:
MTA Will Spend $249M On New Cops to Save $200M on Fare Evasion — Guess this is why they don't call it the Mathematics Transportation Authority. — In a presentation to the MTA Board on Thursday morning, MTA Chief Financial Officer Bob Foran said that Gov. Cuomo's controversial plan …
Gregg Re / Fox News:
Ethics Committee extends review of Talib, probes Hastings for alleged relationship with staffer — The House Ethics Committee on Thursday announced it is extending its review of a campaign finance matter related to Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, while acknowledging for the first time a probe …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, Associated Press, New York Post and The Hill
ProPublica:
A Trump Tax Break To Help The Poor Went To a Rich GOP Donor's Superyacht Marina — Wealthy donors Wayne Huizenga Jr. and Jeff Vinik lobbied then-Gov. Rick Scott for the lucrative tax break — and won it. Poorer communities lost out. … The Rybovich superyacht marina lies on the West Palm Beach …
Discussion:
Orlando Sentinel, Boing Boing and Florida Politics
Greg Farrell / Bloomberg:
Trump Lawyer Bolsters Defense of Ukrainian Billionaire — President Donald Trump's longtime lawyer has several new clients in a money-laundering lawsuit, all co-defendants of the Ukrainian billionaire who launched the career of that country's recently elected president, Vlodymyr Zelinskiy.
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